A pit bull named Lil Min has turned tomato theft into a routine. A video on the Instagram account @archiethegardenmanager shows her strolling out of the garden with a ripe tomato in her mouth, then wandering off when her owner asks what she is doing. The caption says it all: the tomato thief is back.
It is funny, and it is a good excuse to look at your own garden. A ripe red tomato is fine for most dogs. The rest of the plant is the problem. Stems, leaves, and unripe green tomatoes contain compounds that can upset a dog’s stomach, which is why the ASPCA lists the tomato plant as toxic to dogs. A dog raiding the patch is usually fine if she is only grabbing the red ones. The green ones and the foliage are a different story.
A few other things are worth watching. Fallen or rotting fruit can grow mold, and garden beds may carry pesticides or fertilizer that you do not want your dog eating. Some dogs also end up with loose stools after eating a lot of tomatoes at once, simply because it is a big load for a small stomach.
What this means for your dog: a ripe tomato is a safe little snack in small amounts, so there is no need to panic if your dog snags one. Keep her away from the green tomatoes and the leaves, fence off the beds if she is a repeat offender, and call your vet if she eats a lot of the plant or starts vomiting. If your dog is a forager, you might enjoy our piece on the dog who inspects the groceries, and whether dogs can eat eggplant covers another garden vegetable.